Yumo felt like he’d just woken from a deep, heavy dream.
But the lingering bruises on his body told him it was all real.
This was only the second fight of his life—brawling with Zhangyuanzhou right in front of the whole class, acting on pure, desperate instinct the entire time.
To tilt the odds in his favor, he’d detoured to school first. Using the keys he hadn’t yet returned to Linqinglan, he’d unlocked the door to the “magic room”—ahem, *lab*—and grabbed a few handy tools for later. And so… yeah. He’d won. He really had.
Only after confirming over the phone that his sister was safe did the adrenaline fade. Then, cold reality hit: *What have I done?*
Fighting in public off-campus. Stealing chemicals from the lab. Thank god that flaming punch hadn’t actually touched Zhangyuanzhou’s skin—if it had left burns, there’d be no explaining it.
He’d mustered the last of his nerve to threaten the onlookers like he’d seen in movies. *Did it even work? Probably not.* My God—my God—my God—what now…?
In this daze, Yumo cycled home like a sleepwalker. The moment he opened the door—his stepmother’s furious roar greeted him.
“YUMO! Where—where have you *been*?! Your sister’s unconscious in the ER, and you just vanish?!”
“I… I… Wait, Yuxin? Is she—”
“She’s stable, but she needs overnight observation. We came back to pack essentials—so *you*! What’s with those bruises all over your face?! Were you fighting?! While your sister lay unconscious in the ER?!”
“It’s… complicated…”
“Complicated?! You’re in *high school*! Is brawling more important than your own sister?! You selfish child!!!”
“Just let me explain—I can’t just—”
“What excuse could you possibly have?! Do you even *care* about her?!”
“Will you just *listen*—”
“Do you know how terrified we were at the hospital?! You only ever think of yourself! You ungrateful—”
“You think I’m not worried too—”
“Worried?! Just like two years ago with your cousin, you—”
A vein throbbed at Yumo’s temple.
He was exhausted. Bone-deep exhausted.
He was furious. White-hot furious.
Every wound on his body pulsed with pain.
He still didn’t understand this demon’s contract.
In less than two hours, his entire life had shattered.
And now this stepmother was screaming at him, dragging up that *thing* that ruined his middle school years? While his father just stood there, watching coldly?
Something inside his head snapped.
“SHUT THE HELL UP, BOTH OF YOU!!! I’M SICK OF THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
He’d snapped back.
“You think I don’t care about Yuxin?! What do you take me for?! Some heartless animal?! Of *course* I had my reasons! I—I was *forced* to fight! By something—something that might not even be human! If I didn’t, she’d be *dead*!!! DEAD!!!! Is that clear?! Would you even *believe* me?! But no—you never listen! When have you ever *listened* to me?! Yuxin’s safe now—what more do you want?! To yell at me? Torture me? Burn off your extra energy? Why don’t you two just go back to bed and *fuck each other* instead?! My head’s a mess! A total mess! I might’ve—I might’ve done something irreversible—met the wrong thing at the worst time—why—*why* did it have to be like this?! Isn’t my life fucked up enough already???? LEAVE ME ALONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
Yumo unleashed every ounce of pent-up frustration like a dam bursting. For the first time in years. Then—SLAMMED his bedroom door shut, leaving his stunned parents frozen in the hallway.
“…………Was he that traumatized?”
“I—I don’t know. That was… kind of scary…? I didn’t understand half of it…”
“Me neither…………”
——————————
——————————
“Huff… huff… what a mess…”
Yumo locked his door, yanked off his glasses, and collapsed onto his bed, exhaling hard.
Only now did he finally calm down.
“Congratulations. Your first wish is fulfilled. Your sister is safe.”
And the Demon—Yusuozaai—chose *this* moment to appear.
She sat cross-legged on his bed, pen in hand, scratching out “Beat Zhangyuanzhou in front of the whole class” from her notebook.
“I’m… not exactly… thrilled…”
“But didn’t it feel good to punch someone you hate?”
“………………Yeah. It did.”
Denying it would be a lie. But the thought of the fallout made his head ache.
“Let me break it down for you,” Yusuozaai twirled her pen lazily. “You publicly assaulted Zhang in front of your entire class.”
“Yeah…”
“To boost your strength, you stole supplies from the chemistry lab.”
“Yeah…”
“Public brawling. Playing with flammable materials. Stealing lab chemicals. Unless you do something drastic, expulsion is guaranteed. You might even face criminal charges.”
“I *know* that! And whose fault is this?!”
“Yours. For making a wish.”
“You goddamn—!!!”
Yumo swung at her. His fist sank into her shoulder like cotton—no resistance, no impact. The Demon rose unharmed.
“You can hit me. Scream at me. Stomp on me. Even [BEEP—] me. I can’t fight back.”
“Who’d want to [BEEP—] *you*…”
“FYI, I’m a virgin.”
“Who *cares*?!”
“The contract is sealed. Words won’t undo it.”
“Can’t this cursed contract be canceled?!”
“You could try suicide.”
“Any *other* options?”
“Once all your wishes are granted, the contract ends.”
“…………What other wishes did I make?”
“See for yourself. You were pretty drunk when you made them—Oh! I named this notebook *The Bucket List*. Fitting, right? After my favorite movie.”
“Fitting my ass…”
Yumo grumbled, flipping open the notebook. His vision went dark.
Three pages. Packed edge-to-edge with wishes.
Even vague wishes had sub-lists.
Like “Get a simple, loyal, easygoing girlfriend” branched into date ideas—dinner, movies, walks—and… *other* things. Kissing. Groping. Stuff he’d never dared whisper aloud.
Under “Win over the school flower,” he’d scribbled “Live with the school flower,” “Bathe with the school flower,” “XXXX with the school flower”—cringey, virgin-tier fantasies. *Seriously?*
“…Wait, isn’t this contradictory? These wishes describe totally different types of girls. Am I supposed to date *multiple* people at once?”
“Why not? No one’s stopping you.”
“Do I look like some scumbag player to you…?”
“How do *you* know you’re not?”
“Stop playing word games! And this next one—‘Rank #1 in school’? My grades are average! ‘Buy a house inside Sea Capital City’s inner ring before 20’?! Do you know how insane Haiking’s housing prices are?! And—‘Become a top-tier web novelist’? ‘Provide end-of-life care for terminal patients’? ‘Street-race with a biker gang’? ‘Perform naked on stage with a pop idol, playing guitar’? What the hell was I *on*?!”
“You sound fired up. Ready to tackle the next wish?”
“Hell no! If the contract can’t be broken… can you at least help? Supernatural powers? Blood control? Bug manipulation? A bloodthirsty sword? Chains that control minds? Anything?”
“I already gave you motivation. Isn’t that enough?”
“*No!*”
“Fine… My biggest concession: for each wish, I’ll answer one harmless little question. Like the bust-waist-hip measurements of the girl you’re chasing.”
“Are you *mocking* me…?”
“Think what you want. Act how you want. You’re tired. Rest tonight.”
Yusuozaai fell silent. She rolled over beside him, closed her eyes, and drifted off.
Only now, under the bright room light, did Yumo truly see her.
She was tall for a girl—just a hair shorter than his 179cm.
Her complexion was sallow, cheeks hollow from long-term malnutrition. Yet she wasn’t ugly. Far from it. Even with that “starving artist” aura, her bone structure was striking.
She wore an old, ill-fitting button-down shirt and loose women’s jeans—both meticulously clean.
Her frame was as lean as her face: thin arms, thin legs, modest chest. She looked like a strong breeze might knock her over.
A dark impulse flashed through Yumo:
*What if I killed her right now?*
*What if I put a plastic bag over her head?*
*What if I used the paper cutter in my nightstand to slit her throat?*
“Don’t waste your energy… Some thoughts… are best left unthought… Humph… Thanks for the bed… It’s comfy… Snore…………”
She let out a sleepy hum, voice thick with dreams—yet even asleep, she knew his thoughts.
“Oh, and… if you’re planning to take advantage of me… be gentle… I want more sleep…”
“What do you take me for?!”
“But as you see… I’m so thin… bad texture to touch… Fatten me up first… I’d be grateful…”
“You expect me to *feed* you too?!”
“Anyway… you and your sister don’t get along… Think of me as a replacement… I won’t mind being spoiled like a little sister… Snore…”
“FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, JUST SLEEP!!!!!!!!”
Yumo accepted his fate: a demon was now his roommate. He burrowed under the covers on the far edge of the bed, forcing himself to ignore Yusuozaai, and slowly sank into uneasy sleep amidst the chaos in his mind.
